thanks for all the info deuling. I haven't welded anything since high school, so any and all info is appreciated.
CK5
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No problem. I find that with flux core it feels better to me to pull it instead of push, hold it about half inch from the material at about a 45* angle. With gas you can go nuts and it still welds the same really 
If you really need penetration and some great looking welds get tri mix. Expensive but some of the best welds I have ever done is with trimix
Oh and don't listen to Adam he has had his welder for a little more than a year and gets most of his advise from me
oh snap!Oh and don't listen to Adam he has had his welder for a little more than a year and gets most of his advise from me
I'll look into the tri mix as well, but I was kinda thinking that my welds will look ****ty anyway, so why spend the extra dough until I get better.
jess ya asssss 
And I took a welding class, I know a bit more now than I did haha
And I took a welding class, I know a bit more now than I did haha
jess ya asssss
And I took a welding class, I know a bit more now than I did haha
Sorry its just too easy with you.
But yah trimix I don't even use in the garage.
got me a bottle. 120cf full for $125.
time to hook it all up and start practicing!
time to hook it all up and start practicing!
When I bought my bottle + the first fill it was over $400
yeah, that was pretty much the prices I was seeing at the welding supply places. I picked this one up from a guy selling it online.
I was a little worried about it being stolen, or unfillable, but I took some pictures of the collar and showed a few gas supply places and they said no problem with filling it. I took my gauge with me so I could check it. it read full, so I bought it. the inspection is out of date (2005), so next time I have it filled I'll have to have it reinspected, but from what they told me that will cost about $20, so not too bad.
I was a little worried about it being stolen, or unfillable, but I took some pictures of the collar and showed a few gas supply places and they said no problem with filling it. I took my gauge with me so I could check it. it read full, so I bought it. the inspection is out of date (2005), so next time I have it filled I'll have to have it reinspected, but from what they told me that will cost about $20, so not too bad.
Gotcha. Sounds like you got a heck of a deal. Now that I've made the investment I may just empty my tank and ship it with us. I was going to try and sell it on craigslist, but I know I won't get much for it. We'll see.
hydroboost is DONE!!
took it up and down the street a few times slamming on the brakes and it would lock up all 4 every time I tried.
SOOOO much better than before. and it brakes nice and straight! before I did the upgrade, I could stand on the pedal all I wanted and it wouldn't come close to locking up. not to mention it would pull hard left sometimes.
the pedal feels way different. not bad, just different. I'm not sure if it's something I just need to get used to, or if I need to bleed the system more or something. also, the pedal seems to come back up really slowly. either way, it's lightyears better than it was before.
last minute change to my pushrod:
decided I just didn't like the angle it was sitting at the way I had it before, so I pulled the whole thing out and welded it up pretty much the way Z71paramedic did. I just used the original connector instead of a yoke end. before I pulled it out, I measured from the end of the hydroboost, to the center of the hole on the brake pedal. it measured 7", so I cut and welded the original 7/16th rod on so that the eye would end up at 7" with 1/2" of threads either way in case I need to adjust it.
while I was bolting everything back together I noticed that my passenger side U-bolts were loose. I pulled the whole thing apart so that I could check to see if I'd broken the centering pin ( luckily no) and found this:
you can see the bolt is smashed down, meaning it was hitting the spring plate thing (what the hell is that called again? ). I think that was causing it to high center and keeping me from getting the U-bolts tight. that could have been a major problem. glad I found it this way. ground it down a bit, and bolted it back together. I'll be keeping an eye on those U-bolts for awhile.
while everything was apart, I replaced my bent tie rod as well:
z71, you just aligned yours. is there a thread on how to do it? I'm not sure where to measure from, etc...
now it's on to making up some brackets for the windstar fans I picked up a few months ago!
took it up and down the street a few times slamming on the brakes and it would lock up all 4 every time I tried.
SOOOO much better than before. and it brakes nice and straight! before I did the upgrade, I could stand on the pedal all I wanted and it wouldn't come close to locking up. not to mention it would pull hard left sometimes.
the pedal feels way different. not bad, just different. I'm not sure if it's something I just need to get used to, or if I need to bleed the system more or something. also, the pedal seems to come back up really slowly.
either way, it's lightyears better than it was before.last minute change to my pushrod:
decided I just didn't like the angle it was sitting at the way I had it before, so I pulled the whole thing out and welded it up pretty much the way Z71paramedic did. I just used the original connector instead of a yoke end. before I pulled it out, I measured from the end of the hydroboost, to the center of the hole on the brake pedal. it measured 7", so I cut and welded the original 7/16th rod on so that the eye would end up at 7" with 1/2" of threads either way in case I need to adjust it.
while I was bolting everything back together I noticed that my passenger side U-bolts were loose. I pulled the whole thing apart so that I could check to see if I'd broken the centering pin ( luckily no) and found this:
you can see the bolt is smashed down, meaning it was hitting the spring plate thing (what the hell is that called again?
). I think that was causing it to high center and keeping me from getting the U-bolts tight. that could have been a major problem. glad I found it this way. ground it down a bit, and bolted it back together. I'll be keeping an eye on those U-bolts for awhile.while everything was apart, I replaced my bent tie rod as well:
z71, you just aligned yours. is there a thread on how to do it? I'm not sure where to measure from, etc...
now it's on to making up some brackets for the windstar fans I picked up a few months ago!
Nice work man! Sounds like you might need to bleed them some more, my pedal is high and hard (that's what she said ). Hydroboost definitely works great that's for sure.
As for aligning it. Put the front on jack stands and put a tape measure on the outer edge of the tread half way up in the front. Then take the same measurement on the back of the tire. You want it to end up around 1/4" toe in on the front. So if it needs adjusted loosen the tie rod adjusters and rotate the sleeve to get the toe set. Simple as that
). Hydroboost definitely works great that's for sure. As for aligning it. Put the front on jack stands and put a tape measure on the outer edge of the tread half way up in the front. Then take the same measurement on the back of the tire. You want it to end up around 1/4" toe in on the front. So if it needs adjusted loosen the tie rod adjusters and rotate the sleeve to get the toe set. Simple as that
cool, thanks! found this thread too:
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252028&highlight=alignment
yeah, I'll drive it around a bit and see if the pedal comes up some more. probably wouldn't hurt to rebleed the brakes after I put some miles on it too. there was a lot of air in the lines, so it's possible I didn't get quite all of it.
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252028&highlight=alignment
yeah, I'll drive it around a bit and see if the pedal comes up some more. probably wouldn't hurt to rebleed the brakes after I put some miles on it too. there was a lot of air in the lines, so it's possible I didn't get quite all of it.
toe all set at 3/8" -ish. steering centered.
got a weird problem with my steering radius though. steers much tighter to the drivers side than the passenger. gonna go take some measurements now that the toe is set right and ask some questions in the garage.
got a weird problem with my steering radius though. steers much tighter to the drivers side than the passenger. gonna go take some measurements now that the toe is set right and ask some questions in the garage.
nevermind.
went to measure it out and I'm at 22' 1/2" both sides (inside tire to inside tire). who knew setting your toe in correctly would effect your turning radius.
got my windstar fans all installed. I had electric fans before (from a mid-90's camaro) so I didn't have to do any wiring, other than hook the new connectors into my existing harness. on with the pics!
everything taken apart and cleaned up:
for what it's worth, if anyone is trying to put those "c" clips back on the fans, put them on sideways and rotate them into position. it's way easier.
the windstar shroud fit my radiator with only 2 modifications needed:
and
made up some patterns so I could cut my brackets:
I got the piece of .125 5052 aluminum for $20. I was expecting to pay more, so that was nice.
some shots of the finished brackets, complete with speed holes
:
and here they are installed:
everything taken apart and cleaned up:
for what it's worth, if anyone is trying to put those "c" clips back on the fans, put them on sideways and rotate them into position. it's way easier.
the windstar shroud fit my radiator with only 2 modifications needed:
and
made up some patterns so I could cut my brackets:
I got the piece of .125 5052 aluminum for $20. I was expecting to pay more, so that was nice.
some shots of the finished brackets, complete with speed holes
:
and here they are installed:
forgot to mention that I really need to thank Lunatic for the inspiration on the brackets. I wasn't able to copy his design, but he did inspire mine for sure.
Nice dude, looks great!
Nice Job on the brackets, Ash.
How did you get the nice bend in those?
How did you get the nice bend in those?
thanks man. turned out better than I thought I could pull off honestly.Nice Job on the brackets, Ash.
How did you get the nice bend in those?
I picked this up from HF:
http://www.harborfreight.com/30-inch-bending-brake-67240.html
I didn't think it was worth the advertised price, but it was on sale for $30, so I snagged it. the metal alone in it is worth that much.
it's a bit of a pain to use because you have to use c-clamps to hold your material down, and the handles are higher than the bending surface on the sides, so bending just part of a sheet can be tricky, but overall it was worth what I spent on it.
